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News Release

Meeting held in ongoing effort to construct a contemporary HR System that protects Merit Principles

Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held a meeting with DHS stakeholders to brief them on the proposed regulations for the new DHS personnel system. The meeting was part of OPM Director Kay Coles James' ongoing effort to proactively solicit comments and input from the stakeholders on the proposed DHS personnel system. It is consistent with Director James' and DHS Secretary Tom Ridge's charge that affected stakeholders be part of the ongoing design and implementation process.

"This briefing is a continuation of the collaborative effort involving a wide range of participants as originally envisioned by OPM and DHS," said OPM Director James. "Yesterday's meeting exemplifies the cooperation between our agencies that has existed from the beginning stages of the design process as well as our joint commitment to seek out concerns through the official public comment process."

Those in attendance included Steve Kelman of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Neil McPhie of the Merit Systems Protection Board, Susan Meisinger, President of the Society for Human Resources Management, and John Palguta of the Partnership for Public Service. In all, there were more than 35 attendees from a wide array of organizations and institutions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Federation of Federal Employees, American University, George Mason University, the Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Federal Managers Association and the Senior Executives Association. A full list of attendees is attached.

The comment period on the proposed regulations closes on March 22, 2004, and Director James and Secretary Ridge continue to actively encourage further comments from interested parties during this time. Also, at the direction of Director James, a special meeting will be conducted in the near future for veterans who may be affected by the new regulations. Additional discussions with participants in yesterday's meeting will take place in the future as well.

For more information about OPM or the new regulations, please contact Chad Cowan of the OPM Office of Communications and Public Liaison at 202-606-2402 or cdcowan@opm.gov.

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Our mission is to Recruit, Retain and Honor a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.